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Beginner Triathlon

Sarah M.
Sarah M. Sendmail

I am new to this and would like to do my frist tri in May, what smaller goals should I have before then to prepare?

asked over 2 years ago | Report

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  • Joe C.
    Joe C. Sendmail

    I'd first work on getting comfortable with the individual distances. Can you run X miles? Swim X yards? Bike X miles? I'd certainly setup a few smaller goals to make sure that you achieve 125% of those distances that you plan on doing in the Tri. Once you get going the tri, your mind (and body) will be at ease because the distances will be 'easy' for you, allowing you to focus on the race itself.

    Other goals would be to plan out some of the details that snag some people up until the last minute. Do you have a bike that you can use? Do you need a wetsuit? Set up a schedule that will allow you to train in each discipline over the winter, and come May you will have an awesome time at your Tri!

    PS - Don't forget to practice those transitions!

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  • Rob O.
    Rob O. Sendmail

    Now that my 1/2 marathon goal is behind me, I find myself being able to focus on trg for my first Sprint Tri in May as well. I was hoping to do it this past May however my swimming technique was not where it needed to be. I can now swim 700m in 20 mins but am working on getting that down to at least 18 mins and increasing my distance/endurance to 1000 - 1200m. I am keeping up with my running focusing more on the 5K to 10K distance now. I am doing my bike trg in the gym for now on a stationary bike, today I did 25K for an hour, varying the hill simulations, starting off slow, building up slow. My goal is to be able to bike the route at least 12 weeks back from race date, and practicing my transitions as well from bike to running. The biking part is the biggest part of the race from my perspective, so I really don't want to under estimate this leg. There are some really good programs out there for us beginners as well. When I ran my first 1/2 marathon I focused on a beginner trg program to get me across the finish line, I found committing to a program taught me discipline which I think is really important to get across that finish line :) Sending out a friend request, maybe we can motivate each other through the upcoming months of training :)

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  • Lazaro R.
    Lazaro R. Sendmail

    You want to be sure you can accomplish each leg of a Triathlon independently in order to give you the race day confidence. I entered a number of 5k's before trying my first TRI. I also made sure I could pedal the full distance a number of times and made sure to get in a few "bricks" to be sure I would be able to run right after riding the 12 miles. For the swim I just made sure I could comfortable swim the distance in open water prior to the race.

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  • Chip P.
    Chip P. Sendmail

    Depends on the distance you want to go. Sprint, International, half-Iron or full Ironman? I'm guessing you want to do a sprint since its your first, but you never now. You can go to http://www.ironmanpower.com and they will put together a training schedule for you. You can also find other ones on the internet or find a local Tri club to help you out. As other suggested. Get comfortable in all the disciplines. Swimming, biking and running. Start acquiring the equipment you will need. Be that a Bike, wetsuit or a tri suit. I did my first Tri on a MTN bike. Fine because I didn't know if I wanted to do more Tri's, but MTN are 30% harder effort to ride than a road or Tri bike. Great time to get deals on bikes as the season is coming to a close. Biggest advice is to start doing some research, find a plan and start slowing building up to it. Good luck. They are lots of fun.

    answered over 2 years ago |Report

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